I didn’t even play it. Refused shipment. Here’s where I hope my instructions to refuse shipment from the folks Sweetwater work out. Once it took me a month to get credit for my return this way...even based on their recommendation.

Don’t get me wrong, I still think Sweetwater is one of the best. I calculate that I’ve spent $18,000 with them these past couple of years.

So why send back the RD2000? Thing is, it can’t help me out with my limited skills, the way that my Casio PX560 can.

I bought the RD2000(wonderful keyboard...excellent price from Sweetwater)thinking that I could somehow, become some sort of piano player at the ripe age of 69. Probably won’t happen in my lifetime.

But when playing, I kept coming to the rhythms that Casio provides. The Roland RD2000 has drums only.

With a lot less effort(chords vs actual left hand notes)I can make a much bigger sound using rhythms, styles or what have you with the Casio....since I don’t have the skills of a piano player.

It wasn’t the service or price of the RD2000....Sweetwater gave me a great deal(even with the MN sales tax it doesn’t deserve).

It was me; it was admitting I didn’t have the skills to play a piano. It was me admitting, in reality, an arranger was the best option.

Wel;.. try to figure out what you want before you order... Works better that way..

What I want is to be as good a keyboard player as I am a guitar, mandolin, bass player.

Only thing is I’m 69, been playing strings since age 15.

Started keyboard at a younger age(like many arranger players) at age 62.

😊

You dont need more gear, you need a good piano teacher

Sorry it didn't fit your needs the 2000 is a great keyboard. From what your saying it was way too much keyboard for you anyway. The FP90 with a BK7m would of done you better. But good luck woitht he Casio its a nice machine too.

You are still young enough to get very good at the piano (keyboard). 69 is not that old. I am 72 and I have never practiced as much in my life as I do now. I am playing Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Liszt etc. I found at my age music is an excellent way to keep the mind fresh and well tuned. It also helped me with a little arthritis. Age is only a number. I wish you the best in whatever music you may choose to play.

Yeah, but in this case little numbers are better than big numbers; now bank accounts....different story .

chas

Well, I plan on living to be at least 900 like Moses. By those terms I am still a baby. He! He!

Hi guitpic1,

I am glad that you are keeping your Casio PX560 - its keybed is very responsive and performs well with external modules such as the Ketron SD90.

Bachus mentioned in other threads that he plans to use his Kronos 88-key with a Ketron SD90 module some time next year.

I found that the keybed of the Casio PX560 works much better, more reliable than the Korg Kronos 2 88-key to drive the Ketron SD90 module. The keys of the Casio PX560 bounce back immediately, never missed any notes, which is great for controlling the SD90, whereas the RH3 keys of the Korg Kronos 2 88-key have delayed bounces, sometimes causing slipped / missed MIDI notes on the SD90 module. My 18-yea-old Yamaha S80 88-key has the same problem as the Kronos 2 with missing notes occasionally.

Thanks,
Paul

Many go through that "PIANO" phase when in reality you are not trained to do so because your a arranger KB or Guitar player etc,...years ago I tried the piano route and after a few weeks returned the weighted key digital piano. At least I got that dream out of the way...
You have to know your limits and expertise.....maybe a being your a really good Guitar player and a Ketron SD90 module for styles & vocals etc, would be your ticket to success on stage and just fool around with the Casio piano at home just sayin'? Who knows until you try?
....good luck

Have to agree with Bill at least for the FP90, it is a great piano. I've never had a BK7m so I can't comment on that.

This is actually pretty common. The truth is that a pianist and a keyboardist aren’t the same. Playing piano will require you to adopt a new skill set. One major hurdle you have to get over is finger dexterity. I often hear people say you can’t do this or that on a weighted keybed, but that’s not always true. A vast majority of what is and isn’t possible depends on how strong the player is. If you’re someone who primarily plays keyboards (even with semi-weighted keys), and moonlights with a weighted hammer action periodically, your playing will be slower on those weighted keys. Many times it’s not actually sluggish key return, but the player just doesn’t have the dexterity required. It takes a lot of practice (or conditioning).

I’ve got numerous keyboards, but the truth is I’m actually a pianist first and keyboardist second. One of my keyboards has a decent semi-weighted action, and I have to be careful sometimes when I play it because I’m a pianist. Playing technique between the two isn’t the same. I can play manual drums, and fast lead solo work on both my weighted keybeds (one is graded and one is balanced) without problems. That’s because over 95% of my playing is done on weighted keys. I even midi my keyboards up to both weighted models I have just to keep consistency.

If you think weighted keys can slow you down, then you might want to talk to a classically trained pianist or a well trained jazz pianist. Both can have incredibly fast right and left hand parts. There’s nothing wrong with being a keyboardist either. You just have to understand that moving to a weighted hammer action will take some time for you to adjust. Your 560 is a great digital. You don’t need the RD2000 to become a pianist. You already have the tool you need. I would strongly suggest spending more time playing just piano on it. Styles are nice, but you won’t properly develop your left hand if you spend much of your time using the arranger features. Look at the 560 as a piano first, but with arranger capabilities thrown in for good measure 😁. It’s a very capable unit if you want to be a pianist.

Sqk

Hi
Piano is different and harder than the keyboards, or at least for me it was.
Funny I was told by my first piano teacher I was too old. Ripe old age of 20.
That was before I even had my first lesson, so a great confidence booster.

I went back to it for a while a couple of years back. Found a couple of interesting online courses, one more jazz based ,the other sort of worked off patterns

Half tempted to get an 88 note keyboard, but, I think wise thing might be to wait and see if my broken wrist, goes back to normal after they operate again next year, the stores here aren’t as good over here, you buy it, you’re pretty much stuck with it. Haha

Wow, that teacher needs a teacher of his/her own! I can't believe this. The only time you'd say that if one wants to become a CONCERT pianist. To achieve that level of performance, you might as well start practicing in the womb! That's a whole different category. You have to be ridiculously good by the age of 15 to even have a chance. Even then you might not be able to make it.

Obviously the older you get, life gets in the way and it becomes harder and harder to have a set practice schedule, but there's millions of determined people in the world! I know of many pianists friends who started serious lessons in their 40s. 5 years later, they can play pretty advanced stuff on a legit acoustic piano!

When it comes to any form of musicianship, age means absolutely nothing, unless that person used it to develop real skills.
Many have no idea how music works and yet they manage to have strong opinions about how things should be done.

With that mindset not even a Sonata would be created by now.

You’re absolutely right about a Concert Pianist. You’re either a prodigy (which is rare), but to reach that level your fingers better be hitting the keys right after they cut the cord. Telling someone they’re too old at twenty is beyond insane. When growing up I knew people in their fourties starting lessons.

Sqk

I agree with the age thing....to a point. But there is also the factor of 'natural ablility' (talent), and many other things from hand size to spousal support. Like many other things (riding a bicycle), starting young is ALWAYS an advantage. I too, know a few people that started piano lessons late (25+) but I only know ONE that ever reached the level of playing at a professional level (he was a great jazz pianist, but never a great 'reader' - except fake books).

I think the odds of a great pianist becoming a great synthesist/arranger player are much better than the reverse. But I also think piano lessons can only help the non-pianist arranger player. Two different techniques for sure, but if you learned on a 'stick', an automatic is a piece of cake to drive. Now of course, learning accordion first helps no one, especially the neighbors....Kidding, kidding, just trying to wake Tony up .

chas

Oh, Tony's awake ... wanna meet my cousin Guido ?!?

Exactly! It'd be like for an average person wanting to get into reasonable shape and the trainer saying you're too old to become an MMA fighter so why register!

Yes, but Professional is a big word and shouldn't be a deciding factor for everybody. Many manage to get to acceptable levels...way beyond playing one or three finger chords for sure.

All I really wanted was just to play to entertain myself. ( That’s still all I want. )
Took me till the age of 20 to finally buy a piano, and get up the courage to go and have lessons with the encouragement of my husband.
Could have really done with a slightly more supportive teacher. ( probably one of those cranky old maids, that wrapped children over the knuckles for not practicing). I practiced HEAPS, that would have been the final embarrassment if I’d gotten whacked over the knuckles. Haha

Hi Chas, you are so right, natural ability. Our ex neighbor was the drummer for Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs. A few years back we were invited over for his 70th. Most of his family was there. Every single one of them was able to play an instrument and/or sing I think he had about 6 kids, and a heap of grandkids. Talent just ran in the family.

Personally i am convinced that age might be a lesser factor (except for the top end)

There is also dedication (maybe the most important part of learning and improving any skill.

And then there is the training method/teacher, to whome you need a connection of some sort, its important that both you and the teacher/method have the same goals.


i am a firm beleiver that if your basic training is piano, and the methose teaches you all basics like playing from sheet music, musical theory, playing by ear, improvising and gradually improves all of these... that its easier to addapt from piano to otehr keyboard instruments, then the other way around.



There is another thing to remember, where learning bass takes like 6 months and guitar about 2 to 3 years... getting a professional level on any keyboard and espescially piano might take up to a decade..

Good comments all. Tx.

I’m still hacking away at piano but satisfied with baby steps on the PX560. Might put a module with it some day.

Wow, that teacher needs a teacher of his/her own! I can't believe this.

Hi Sam, sorry just realised who you are ( getting old isn’t funny). Actually probably the reason I got involved with the keyboards. I think my brain was better suited to the technology, than the actual playing. Had years of fun trying to help people who actually could play. Haha

Hi , I had a bit of fun with this site, a couple of years back

https://www.playpianotoday.com/membership-options/

I found this helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGFe0yH6lkA8dm8kt72SoJQ